User interfaces and system including same

ABSTRACT

An information graphic displayable via an electronic user interface to integrate information from accounts held at a financial institution. In one embodiment, the information graphic includes a first graphic element to display first information associated with at least one first account and a second graphic element to display second information associated with at least one second account. A dimension of the first graphic element is representative of the first information and a dimension of the second graphic element is representative of the second information. A first portion of the second graphic element is selectable to alternately virtually hide and display a second portion of the second graphic element.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from the United States ProvisionalPatent Application having Ser. No. 61/148,763 filed on Jan. 30, 2009,the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application is directed generally and in various embodiments touser interfaces and systems for providing Internet banking products andservices.

BACKGROUND

Banking institutions frequently offer Internet banking products andservices to their customers as an alternative to traditional “brick andmortar” banking channels. Such products and services are typicallyprovided via a user interface (UI) of a secure banking Web site that ishosted by the bank and that is remotely accessible by its customersusing, for example, a personal computer (PC) or other network-enableddevice. Products and services that may be offered to Internet bankingcustomers include, for example, account balance inquiries, electronicfunds transfers, transaction information downloads, bill presentment andpayment, loan applications, and investment services. From a customerstandpoint, advantages of Internet banking include the ability tointeract with their banking institution any time from virtually anylocation, the ability to manage their finances from a single source, andincreased transactional speed. Internet banking additionally providessignificant economic benefits to the banking institution by reducingpaper handling and teller interactions.

For banking institutions, customer visualization of and interaction withinformation presented via the UI plays a large role in determiningcustomer satisfaction and, consequently, customer enrollment andretention. For many customers, the ability to quickly assess andunderstand their financial condition based on, for example, the amountof money currently available to spend, current and upcoming financialobligations, and as well as their progress in meeting future financialgoals, is essential. Similarly, the ability to distribute funds betweenaccounts in a manner that enhances the customer's understanding of hisfinances is desirable.

Internet banking UIs currently in use do not adequately consolidate andpresent customer information such that customers may quickly assessfinancial conditions to determine if any adjustments are necessary.Additionally, to the extent that a user may be able to glean theinformation necessary to perform such an assessment, distributing fundsbetween accounts is typically performed using text-input features thatadd little to the customer's understanding of account dynamics.

Moreover, features of Internet banking UIs are usually directed to anadult demographic and do not take into account spending habits andunique banking needs of younger demographics, such as high school andcollege-aged customers, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a system according to various embodiments;

FIGS. 2A-2B and 4A-4C illustrate UI screens displayed by a clientaccording to various embodiments;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a UI screen controller according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 3C illustrates a UI sub-screen according to various embodiments:

FIGS. 5-7 illustrate configurations of a slide controller of a UI screenaccording to various embodiments;

FIGS. 8A-8B and 9A-9B illustrate UI screens displayed by a clientaccording to various embodiments;

FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate a UI fund transfer sub-screen according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 11 illustrates a UI e-mail sub-screen according to variousembodiments;

FIGS. 12A-12E illustrate configurations of the UI screen informationgraphic of FIGS. 8A-B and 9A-B according to various embodiments;

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate UI sub-screens according to variousembodiments; and

FIGS. 14A-14F illustrate information graphics according to variousembodiments.

DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed generally to agraphical UI that may be provided by a banking institution as a part ofits internet banking system. In certain embodiments, the ill may includea slide controller for shifting or redistributing funds between a demandaccount and a savings account as needed based on current financial needsand/or future financial goals. The graphical design of the controllermay be such financial conditions represented by the controller arequickly and efficiently conveyed. For example, the controller mayprovide an indication of the relative balances of the demand account andthe savings account. Additionally, the controller may provide anindication of what portion of the demand account will be consumed byapproaching bill payments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 5 according to various embodiments forproviding and using Internet banking products and services via acommunication network 25. As shown, the system 5 may include a hostsystem 7 in communication with a client 40. In certain embodiments, thehost system 7 may be arranged in a 3-tier network architecture andinclude a Web server 10, an application server 15 and a database server20. The Web server 10 corresponds to the first tier of the host system 7and communicates with the communication network 25 (e.g., the Internet)and the application server 15 via a border firewall 30 and anapplication firewall 35, respectively. The Web server 10 is configuredto accept HTTP requests from the client 40 (e.g., a PC or othernetwork-enabled device associated with a customer) via the communicationnetwork 25 and provide an HTTP response. The HTTP response may include,for example, static and/or dynamic HTML documents for providing anInternet banking UI 42 to the bank customer via the client 40. The Webserver 10 may further be configured to authenticate the customer'scredentials before allowing access to the UI 42 and other bankingresources. Such authentication may be performed, for example, using auser name and a password.

The application server 15 corresponds to the second tier of the hostsystem 7 and communicates with the Web server 10 and the data baseserver 20 via the application firewall 35 and an internal firewall 45,respectively. The application server 15 may host Internet bankingapplications for executing the business logic associated with theInternet banking products and services. The application server 20 mayreceive customer-entered information from the UI 42 of the client 40 viathe Web server 10. Such information may include, for example, the username and password of the customer and a request to access particularbanking products or services. Based on the customer's identity and otherinformation received from the client 40 via the Web server 10, theapplication server 15 may perform transactions (e.g., transfer fundsbetween accounts, retrieve account balances, etc.) and generatecorresponding informational content (e.g., transfer confirmations,account balance information, etc.). Such information may be communicatedto the Web server 10 and subsequently presented to the customer using,for example, a dynamic Web page of the UI 42.

The database server 20 corresponds to the third tier of the host system7 and communicates with the application server 15 via the internalfirewall 45. The database server 20 may include one or more databasescontaining, for example, customer user names and passwords, customeraccounts and their respective balances, customer historical transactioninformation, and products and/or services (e.g., online bill pay)associated with each customer, as well as configuration information foreach. Such information may be retrieved, processed and updated as neededby the application server 15 based on the particular Internet bankingapplication(s) being used.

The client 40, as discussed above, may be a PC or other network-enableddevice (e.g., a cell phone, PDA, etc.) configured to transmit andreceive information via the communication network 25 using a wired orwireless connection. The client 40 may include a suitable browsersoftware application (e.g., Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer Mobile.Firefox, Blazer, etc.) for enabling the customer to display, enter andinteract with information exchanged via the communication network 25.The client 40 may thus access and navigate static and/or dynamic HTMLdocuments of the Internet banking UI 42.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate a screen 50 of the UI 42 according to variousembodiments for providing Internet banking products and services to acustomer. The screen 50 may be implemented, for example, as a dynamicHTML Web page hosted by the Web server 10 that is accessible by theclient 40 subsequent to customer authentication. In certain embodimentsand as shown, the screen 50 may be one of a plurality of linked screensthat collectively define the UI 42. As discussed in further detailbelow, the screen 50 may include various graphic and text featuresdesigned to efficiently communicate information regarding aspects of thecustomer's finances. Such information may include, for example, acurrent balance in one or more customer accounts, a portion of a currentbalance required to satisfy approaching financial obligations, a portionof a current balance allocated toward a particular financial goal, andamounts of scheduled bill payments and associated bill information.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the screen 50 may include an information graphic inthe form of a slide controller 55 for displaying and controlling aspectsof the customer's finances. In certain embodiments and as shown, theslide controller 55 may be horizontally oriented relative to the screen50 and include a slidable element 60 that is positionable over a centralportion of a background element 65 using, for example, a mouse or otherpointing device associated with the client 40. The slidable element 60may be, for example, a thumb element (as shown in FIG. 2A) or any othersuitable type of graphic element that may be selectively positionedrelative to the background element 65. The slide controller 55 may beimplemented on the interface screen 50 using, for example, JavaScript orother suitable programming tools for generating interactive graphicelements. According to various embodiments, the slide controller 55 maybe configured to graphically integrate and display informationpertaining to a first account and a second account associated with thecustomer, and to enable selective redistribution of the account balancesbased on the customer's financial needs. In certain embodiments and asshown, the first account may be a transactional, or “available,” accountfor providing accessibility to funds on demand using, for example, acheck or an electronic funds transfer, and the second account may be asavings, or “reserve,” account.

As further shown in FIG. 2A, the background element 65 of the slidecontroller 55 may be divided into a first segment 70 and a secondsegment 75 based on the position of the thumb element 60. The lengths ofthe first and second segments 70, 75 may be representative of thebalances contained in the available account and the reserve account,respectively. For example, a first segment 70 that is longer than thesecond segment 75 may indicate that the balance in the available accountexceeds that of the reserve account. The first and second segments 70,75 may be suitably colored to enhance their contrast for viewing ease.In certain embodiments, for example, the first segment 70 may be greenand the second segment 75 may be blue. Labels may be provided on each ofthe first and second segments 70, 75 to indicate the name and/or type ofthe corresponding account (e.g., available, reserve) and its balance.The labels may be positioned outside of the central portion of thebackground element 65 (e.g., at respective endpoints of the backgroundelement 65, as shown in FIG. 2A) such that interference with the thumbelement 60 is avoided.

According to various embodiments and as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B,the total balance represented by the available and reserve accounts maybe redistributed between the accounts as desired by changing theposition of the thumb element 60 on the background element 65. In FIG.3A, for example, the thumb element 60 is positioned such that $875 ofthe $1,050 balance total is contained in the available account, with theremaining $175 contained in the reserve account. The length of the firstsegment 70 is longer than that of the second segment 75, therebyproviding a graphical indication that the available account balance islarger than that of the reserve account. In FIG. 3B, the position of thethumb element 60 has been changed relative to that of FIG. 3A such thatthe balance of the reserve account has increased by $350 to $525. Theavailable account has been correspondingly decreased from $875 to $525.The lengths of the first and second segments 70, 75 have decreased andincreased, respectively, thus providing a graphical indication of thenew balance distribution.

In certain embodiments, based on a change in the position of the thumbelement 60, the screen 50 may cause a confirmation screen 80 (FIG. 3C)to be displayed that summarizes changes to be effected by theredistribution and requests confirmation or cancellation of thetransaction by the customer. The confirmation screen 80 may indicate,for example, the amount to be redistributed and the balances of theavailable and reserve accounts that will result. For example, based onthe positional change of the thumb element 60 described above inconnection with FIGS. 3A and 3B, the confirmation screen may indicatethat the redistribution amount is $350, and that the resulting balancein each of the available and reserve accounts will be $525. If userconfirmation is provided, information regarding the redistribution maybe communicated to the host system 7 so that the account balances may beupdated accordingly. If the transaction is cancelled, no changes to theaccount balances will be effected, and changes to the slide controller55 resulting from the changed position of the thumb element 60 may becancelled.

It will thus be appreciated that position of the thumb element 60 maygenerally be changed in order to selectively redistribute the balancetotal of the available account and the reserve account between theaccounts in any proportion. If necessary, for example, the thumb element60 may be positioned such that the entire balance total is placed ineither of the available or reserve accounts. In this way, the availableaccount and the reserve account behave as a single account. It willfurther be appreciated that slide controller 55 may be configured toenable redistribution of the balance total in any minimum incrementdesired. In certain embodiments, for example, the slide controller 55may be configured to redistribute the balance total in minimumincrements of one dollar.

Embodiments of the screen 50 may include graphic and text features forcommunicating information regarding the customer's bill payments. Suchinformation may be derived, for example, through the customer'senrollment in an online bill payment service offered by the bankinginstitution. According to various embodiments, the electronic billpayments may be configured and scheduled via a bill payment screen (notshown) of the UI 42 that is accessible from the screen 50, and balancesdue may be paid from the available account. In certain embodiments, thehost system 7 may be configured such that the reserve account providesautomatic overdraft protection to the available account. In the event ofan overdraft, for example, a predetermined amount may be automaticallytransferred from the reserve account to the available account.

In certain embodiments and with reference to FIGS. 4A-4C, bill paymentinformation may be presented textually in one or more sub-screensprovided on the screen 50. For example, a first sub-screen 85(“scheduled out”) may present information regarding bill payments thatare scheduled for payment in the near-term (e.g., until the nextscheduled payday or within a predetermined time period measured from thecurrent date), and a second sub-screen 90 (“future scheduled out”) maypresent similar information for bill payments that are scheduled forpayment at later dates. Bill payment information provided by eachsub-screen 85, 90 may include, for example, the billing parties and thepayment due to each, the scheduled date of each payment, and the totalamount scheduled to be paid.

In certain embodiments, the slide controller 55 may be configured tographically and/or textually present aspects of the bill paymentinformation. In one such embodiment and with reference to FIG. 4A, theslide controller 55 may include a graphic element 92 for graphicallyindicating the amount of funds necessary to satisfy all of thecustomer's near-term bill obligations (e.g., the total amount ofnear-term bill payments indicated by first sub-screen 85) relative tothe available account balance from which the bill payment funds may beelectronically withdrawn. As shown, the graphic element 92 may be a barelement 92 having a length determined by the total amount of near-termbill payments. The background element 65 may be sufficiently transparentsuch that placement of the bar element 92 behind the background element65 permits the bar element 92 to be partially visible therethrough. Theposition of the bar element 92 behind the background element 65 may besuch that the proportional lengths of the first segment 70 and the barelement 92 graphically indicate the amount of the available accountbalance that will be consumed by the total amount of near-term billpayments.

In certain embodiments and as shown, the bar element 92 may include afirst flag element 95 formed thereon that extends beyond the top of thebackground element 65 and contains text indicating the total amount ofnear-term bill payments scheduled to be paid from the available account.In cases where no near-term bill payments are scheduled (as shown inFIG. 2A, for example), the flag element 95 may contain text indicatingthat no bills are scheduled. Alternatively, the flag element 95 may behidden from view in the absence of any near-term bill payments, or ifthe customer has never scheduled any bill payments using the UI 42 billpayment functionality.

It should be emphasized that in cases where the bar element 92 indicatesthat an amount of the available account balance will be consumed by thebill payments in the near-term, the available account balance is in noway encumbered by the anticipated payments. In other words, theavailable account balance indicated by the slide controller 55represents the actual amount that the customer may access at that pointin time.

In certain embodiments and as further shown in FIG. 4A, the slidecontroller 55 may further include a second flag element 100 adjacent thetop of the background element 65 and containing text indicating theamount of the available account balance in excess of the total amount ofnear-term bill payments. As shown, the flag element 100 may bepositioned adjacent a portion of the first segment 70 that is notconsumed by the bar element 92. In cases where no near-term billpayments are scheduled, or in cases where the total amount of near-termbill payments exceeds the balance of the available account, the flagelement 100 may be hidden from view.

For embodiments of the slide controller 55 including a bar element 92 orother graphic element for indicating the amount of the available accountbalance consumed by approaching bill payments, the overall length of theslide controller 55 may be determined based on the total bill paymentamount relative to the combined balances of the available account andthe reserve account. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A-4C, the combinedaccount balances ($1,578.44) exceed the total amount of near-term billpayments ($687.14). The size of the slide controller 55 is thusdetermined by the overall length of the background element 65. FIG. 5illustrates a scenario in which the combined account balances ($10) areexceeded by the total amount of near-term bill payments ($687.14). Inthis case, the bar element 92 exceeds the length of the backgroundelement and thus dictates the overall length of the slide controller 55.Although not shown in FIG. 5 , it will be appreciated that the colors ofthe first and second segments 70, 75 of the background element 65 may bealtered to draw attention to the fact that the approaching bill paymentsexceed the combined account balances.

In certain embodiments and as further shown in FIG. 5 , the slidecontroller 55 may be configured to display the second segment 75 of thebackground element 65 in cases where the reserve account contains a zerobalance and the available account contains a non-zero balance. Incertain embodiments, where both the available account and the reserveaccount contain zero balances and the amount of near-term bill paymentsis non-zero, such as shown in FIG. 6 , the thumb element 60 may behidden from view and the background element 65 uniformly colored (e.g.,red) to indicate that the amount of near-term bill payments exceeds thecombined account balances.

The slide controller 55 may be configured to provide a graphicalindication of a pending deposit into the available account and a textcaption indicating the amount of the pending deposit. In certainembodiments and as shown in FIG. 7 , for example, a pending deposit maybe indicated by the presence of an asterisk 102 or other suitable symbolsuperimposed on the first segment 70 of the background element 65. Theamount of the pending deposit may not be included in the availableaccount balance until the deposit is approved by the bankinginstitution. Conversely, charges pending against the available accountmay be reflected in the available account balance.

In certain embodiments, the screen 50 may further include graphic andtext features for allocating portions of the reserve account balancetowards purchases anticipated in the future. With reference to FIG. 2B,for example, the screen 50 may include a sub-screen 105 (“reserve”)listing the anticipated purchases, corresponding purchase prices, and anamount of the reserve account balance currently allocated to eachpurchase. This information may be editable by the customer, andadditional purchases may be added to the sub-screen 105 as desired. Thescreen 50 may further indicate an amount of the reserve account that iscurrently unallocated, and the total balance of the reserve account. Incertain embodiments, the amount allocated to each purchase may bemanually input into the corresponding field of the sub-screen 105 by thecustomer. Alternatively, the allocated amount may be increased inaccordance with savings rules (e.g., event-based or periodic spendingrules) configured by the customer via a separate UI screen (not shown)linked to the screen 50. Withdrawals from the reserve account (e.g.,withdrawals resulting from the redistribution of funds from the reserveaccount to the available account) may initially be taken out of theunallocated portion of the reserve account balance, and the allocatedamounts will only be depleted when the unallocated amount is zero.

FIGS. 8A-88 illustrate a screen 110 of the UI 42 that may be displayedas an alternative to the screen 50 described above. The screen 110 maybe implemented, for example, as a dynamic HTML Web page hosted by theWeb server 10 that is accessible by the client 40 subsequent to customerauthentication. In certain embodiments and as shown, the screen 110 maybe one of a plurality of linked screens that collectively define the UI42. As with the screen 50, the screen 110 may include various graphicand text features designed to efficiently communicate informationregarding aspects of the customer's finances. However, features of thescreen 110 may take into account spending habits and unique bankingneeds of younger demographics, such as high school and college-agedcustomers, for example.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the screen 110 may include an expandableinformation graphic 115 for displaying aspects of the customer'sfinances. According to various embodiments, the information graphic 115may be configured to graphically integrate and display informationpertaining to a first account and a second account associated with thecustomer. As described above in connection with the slide controller 55,for example, the first account may be a transactional, or “available,”account for providing accessibility to funds on demand using, forexample, a check or an electronic funds transfer, and the second accountmay be a savings, or “reserve,” account. The information graphic 115 maycomprise a first segment 120 and a second segment 125 for displayinginformation pertaining to the available and reserve accounts,respectively. FIG. 8A illustrates the information graphic 115 in acollapsed state in which a length of the second segment 125corresponding to the reserve account is predominately “hidden” behindthe first segment 120 corresponding to the available account.Accordingly, in its collapsed state, the information graphic 115 mayprimarily convey information pertaining to the available account (e.g.,a balance of the available account).

FIGS. 9A-98 illustrate the information graphic 115 in an expanded statein which the hidden portion of the second segment 125 has been unhiddenby a corresponding reduction in the length of the first segment 120.Transitioning between the collapsed and expanded states of theinformation graphic 115 may be effected, for example, by clicking on,dragging, or otherwise selecting a tab portion 130 of the second segment125. Accordingly, in its expanded state, the information graphic 115 mayconvey information pertaining to both the available account and reserveaccount (e.g., a balance of each account). In certain embodiments, whenthe information graphic 115 is expanded, the relative lengths of thefirst and second segments 120, 125 may be representative of the relativebalances contained in the available and reserve accounts, respectively.As shown in FIG. 9A, for example, the balance of the reserve account($1,200) is larger than that of the available account ($300).Accordingly, the length of the second segment 125 is depicted as beinggreater than that of the first segment 120. In certain embodiments, therelative lengths of the first and second segments 120, 125 may beproportional to the balances of the available and reserve accounts,respectively. For example, if the balance of the available accountrepresents one quarter of the combined account balances, the length ofthe first segment 120 may only be one quarter of the length of thesecond segment 125.

It will be appreciated the information graphic 115 of FIGS. 8A-B and9A-B, as well as the slide controller 55 of FIG. 2A, are not limited tothe use of segment-shaped graphic elements to display or representaccount information, and that graphic elements of any geometrical typeor shape may generally be used to display such information. Suitablegraphic elements may include, for example, any type of bounded shape(e.g., a polygon shape, such as a quadrilateral, a curved shape, such asa circle, circular sector, ellipse, or oval), line segment (e.g., astraight line segment, a curved line segment), or a shape comprising abounded shape(s) and a line segment(s). In certain embodiments, thegraphic elements used to display or represent account information may bethe substantially identical geometrical types or shapes (such as firstand segments 70, 75 of slide controller 55 and the first and secondsegments 120, 125 of the information graphic 115), although it will beappreciated that different shapes may be used for each graphic element.

It will similarly be appreciated that the particular orientations of thegraphic elements presented herein are provided by way of example only,and that any suitable orientation may generally be used. For example,while graphic elements of the slide controller 55 and the informationgraphic 115 are shown in horizontal orientations relative to a displayscreen by way of example, in certain embodiments the graphic elementsmay instead be arranged in a vertical orientation relative to a displayscreen, or in an orientation that is neither horizontal nor verticalrelative to a display screen. The use of particular dimension of agraphic element to represent account information may depend on theparticular orientation of the graphic element. For example, for theslide controller 55 and the information graphic 115, the lengths of thefirst and segments 70, 75 are used to represent account information dueto the horizontal orientation of the first and segments 70, 75 relativeto the display screen 50. In embodiments in which graphic elements areoriented vertically, the heights of the graphic elements may be used torepresent account information. In certain embodiments, a graphic elementmay be oriented to provide a perspective view, in which case a width ofthe graphic element may be used to represent account information.

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate an embodiment of the information graphic115 in which the graphic elements 120′, 125′ comprise polygon shapesarranged in vertical orientation relative to the display screen 110. InFIG. 14A, only information pertaining to the available account isdisplayed by the graphic element 120′. FIG. 14B illustrates theinformation graphic 115 subsequent to selection of the tab portion 130.As shown, information for both the available and reserve accounts is nowdisplayed by graphic elements 120′, 125′, respectively.

FIGS. 14C and 14D illustrate another embodiment of the informationgraphic 115 in which graphic elements 120″, 125″ comprise circularsectors. In FIG. 14C, only the information pertaining to the availableaccount is displayed by the graphic element 120″. In FIG. 14D,information for both the available and reserve accounts is displayed bygraphic elements 120″, 125″, respectively, subsequent to selection ofthe tab portion 130.

It will additionally be appreciated that the graphic elements need notcomprise a single, continuous geometrical shape. In certain embodimentsand as shown in FIGS. 14E and 14F, for example, each graphic element120′″, 125′″ may instead comprise a number of discrete geometricalshapes. The color and/or shape of the geometrical shapes of each graphicelement 120′″, 125′″ may be uniform but different than that othergraphic element to enhance viewing ease. In FIG. 14E, only theinformation pertaining to the available account is displayed by thegraphic element 120′″. In FIG. 14F, information for both the availableand reserve accounts is displayed by graphic elements 120′″, 125′″,respectively, subsequent to-selection of the tab portion 130.

Referring again to FIG. 9A, in certain embodiments, the informationgraphic 115 may lack a slidable element (such as thumb element 60 ofslide controller 55, for example) for redistributing the total balancerepresented by the available and reserve accounts between the accounts.Transfers between the available and reserve accounts, as well astransfers involving other accounts (e.g., other accounts internal and/orexternal to the banking institution) may instead be performed via asub-screen of the information graphic 115, such as the transfersubscreen 135 of FIG. 9B. As shown, the transfer sub-screen 135 maycomprise a “transfer type” drop down box 140 for selecting a particulartype of transfer, a “from” drop down box 145 for selecting a source oftransferred funds, a “to” drop down box 150 for selecting a destinationof transferred funds, an “amount” text field 155 for entering an amountof funds to be transferred, and a “go” button 160 for effecting thetransfer after the transfer type, fund source, fund destination andtransfer amount have been specified.

Types of fund transfers selectable via the transfer type drop down box140 are illustrated in FIG. 10A, according to one embodiment, and mayinclude a “within financial institution” transfer, a “between people”transfer and an “outside financial institution” transfer. As shown inFIG. 10A, the “between people” transfer has been selected. This transfertype may be used to enable the transfer of funds from an account of thecustomer, as selected via the “from” drop down box 145, to an account ofanother person or entity, as selected via the “to” drop down box 150.The configuration of the transfer sub-screen 135 may be such thatselection of a particular transfer type causes the “from” drop down box140 and the “to” drop down box 150 to be populated with eligible sourcesand destinations for transferred funds, respectively. In certainembodiments, for example, the “from” drop down box 145 may be populatedwith one or more existing accounts that the customer has opened with thebanking institution (e.g., the available and reserve accounts, a moneymarket account), and the “to” drop down box 150 may be populated withnames of persons or entities previously designated by the customer asbeing eligible to receive fund transfers from the customer. In certainembodiments, the identity of each person or entity listed in the “to”drop down box 150, as well as their account information and otherinformation (e.g., e-mail address(es), telephone number(s)), may beadded by the customer via a sub-screen (not shown) that is displayable,for example, by selecting a “new person” option contained within the“to” drop down box 150. In one embodiment, one or more persons orentities listed in the “to” drop down box 150 may be account holders atthe banking institution, in which case transfers may be conductedentirely from within system 5 of the banking institution. In otherembodiments, one or more persons or entities listed in the “to” dropdown box 150 may be account holders at one or more other institutions,in which case the system 5 of the banking institution may communicatewith similar systems of the other banking institution(s) to effecttransfers.

In certain embodiments, the particular customer account(s) from whichfunds are eligible to be transferred may be specified by the customer.For example, the customer may specify that funds are only eligible to betransferred from the available account and from a money market account,and that transfers from the reserve account are prohibited. Suchrestrictions may be specified by the customer via a sub-screen (notshown) of the screen 110, or by the banking institution at thecustomer's request, for example. Additionally, population of the “to”drop down box 150 with persons or entities eligible to receivetransferred funds may be based upon the particular customer accountselected via the “from” drop down box 145. For example, a customer mayhave an account with the banking institution associated with a homebusiness of the customer, in which case the “to” drop down box may onlybe populated with persons or entities eligible to receive transfers fromthe business account (e.g., suppliers and vendors associated with thehome business) when the business account is selected at the source ofthe fund transfer. In this way, inadvertent transfers between accountsmay be avoided. Such transfer restrictions may be specified on aperson-by-person basis when the identities of persons or other entitieseligible to receive transfers are supplied by the user (e.g., using a“new person” option contained within the “to” drop down box 150.

In certain embodiments, when a “between people” transfer has beenselected, selection of the button 60 to initiate the transfer may causean e-mail sub-screen 165 (FIG. 11 ) to be displayed. In this way, thecustomer may transmit an e-mail message to the intended recipient toindicate that a transfer is forthcoming. The e-mail sub-screen 165 maybe displayed by an e-mail utility of the UI 42, or by a separate e-mailprogram hosted by the client 40, and may comprise elements of aconventional e-mail interface, such as, for example, a “to” field forspecifying an e-mail address of the intended recipient, a “subject”field, and a field for entering the e-mail text. Additionally, thee-mail sub-screen 165 may comprise an “item” field for indicating thetransfer amount and a reason why the transfer is being made. In certainembodiments, the e-mail address of the intended recipient may beautomatically entered based on an e-mail address previously associatedwith the intended recipient by the customer (e.g., using a sub-screenassociated with the “new person” option contained within the “to” dropdown box 150). Similarly, the amount of the transfer may beautomatically indicated based on the transfer amount entered into the“amount” text field 155. In certain embodiments, the e-mail sub-screen165 may include an option for sending the e-mail to a mobile device(e.g., a cell phone) associated with the intended recipient. The e-mailsub-screen 165 may further include “send” and “cancel” buttons fortransmitting or discarding the e-mail message, respectively. Selectionof the send button may also consummate the fund transfer, and selectionof either the send or cancel buttons may also cause the e-mailsub-screen 165 to be closed such that the customer is returned to thetransfer sub-screen 135.

As shown in FIG. 10B, the “within financial institution” transfer hasbeen selected. This transfer type may be used to enable the transfer offunds between the customer's accounts within the banking institution. Incertain embodiments, for example, each of the “from” drop down box 145and the “to” drop down box 150 may be populated with one or moreexisting accounts that the customer has opened with the bankinginstitution (e.g., the available and reserve accounts). In a mannersimilar to that described above in connection with the “between people”transfer type, a customer may restrict accounts to and from whichtransfers may be made using the “within banking institution” transfertype. For example, the customer may restrict transfers between hisbusiness and personal accounts. Such restrictions may be specified bythe customer via a sub-screen (not shown) of the screen 110, or by thebanking institution at the customer's request, for example.

As shown in FIG. 10C, the “outside financial institution” transfer hasbeen selected. This transfer type may be used to enable the transfer offunds from a customer's account within the banking institution to one ormore customer accounts at one or more other banking institutions. Incertain embodiments, for example, the “from” drop down box 145 may bepopulated with one or more existing accounts that the customer hasopened with the banking institution (e.g., the available and reserveaccounts, a money market account), and the “to” drop down box 150 may bepopulated with accounts of the customer at other banking institutionspreviously designated by the customer as being eligible to receive fundsfrom the customer's accounts at the banking institution. In certainembodiments, the account names listed in the “to” drop down box 150, aswell as any account information necessary to effect transfers, may beadded by the customer via a sub-screen (not shown) that is displayable,for example, by selecting an “other” option contained within the “to”drop down box 150. In a manner similar that described above inconnection with the “between people” transfer type, a customer mayrestrict accounts to and from which transfers may be made using the“outside banking institution” transfer type. For example, the customermay restrict transfers between business and personal accounts. Suchrestrictions may be specified by the customer via a sub-screen (notshown) of the screen 110, or by the banking institution at thecustomer's request, for example.

After the appropriate transfer type, fund source, fund destination, andtransfer amount have been specified by the customer, the button 160 maybe selected to effect the transfer. In one embodiment, the transfer maybe effected immediately upon selection of the button 160. In anotherembodiment, selection of the button 160 may cause a confirmation screen(not shown) similar to that shown in FIG. 3C to appear such that thecustomer may confirm or cancel the transfer. In certain embodiments, thetransfer sub-screen 135 may be configured to retain the drop down boxselections and the transfer amount of the previous transfer operationuntil during a subsequent transfer.

In certain embodiments, the screen 110 may comprise one or more billpayment subscreens 170 similar or identical to sub-screen 85 of thescreen 50 for textually presenting bill payment information. Asdiscussed above in connection with the screen 50, such information maybe derived, for example, through the customer's enrollment in an onlinebill payment service offered by the banking institution. The electronicbill payments may be configured and scheduled, for example, via a billpayment screen (not shown) of the UI 42 that is accessible from the billpayment sub-screen 170 (via an “add” button, for example) and balancesdue may be paid from the available account. Bill payment informationdisplayed by the screen 110 may include, for example, the billingparties, and the payment due to each, the scheduled date of eachpayment, and the total amount scheduled to be paid. In certainembodiments, if there are no bills scheduled to be paid (as shown inFIGS. 8A-8B, for example), the sub-screen 170 may display a promptintroducing the bill payment functionality. In certain embodiments, thehost system 7 may be configured such that the reserve account providesautomatic overdraft protection to the available account. In the event ofan overdraft, for example, a predetermined amount may be automaticallytransferred from the reserve account to the available account. Incertain embodiments, the occurrence of an overdraft may automaticallycause an alert to be sent to the customer (e.g., to an e-mail utility ofthe UI 42, to an e-mail program hosted by the client 40, to a telephoneassociated with the user) using customer contact information on recordwith the banking institution or contact information previously enteredby the customer via a sub-screen of the UI 42.

In certain embodiments, the information graphic 115 may be configured tographically and/or textually present aspects of the bill paymentinformation in a manner similar to that discussed above in connectionwith the slide controller 55. In one such embodiment, for example, andwith reference to FIG. 12A, the information graphic 115 may include abar element 92 for graphically indicating the amount of funds necessaryto satisfy all of the customer's near term bill obligations (e.g., thetotal amount of near-term bill payments indicated by the sub-screen 170)relative to the available account balance from which the bill paymentfunds may be electronically withdrawn. The position of the bar element92 may be such that the proportional lengths of the first segment 120and the bar element 92 graphically indicate the amount of the availableaccount balance that will be consumed by the total amount of near-termbill payments. The bar element 92 may also include a first flag element95 containing text indicating the total amount of near-term billpayments scheduled to be paid from the available account. In cases whereno near-term bill payments are scheduled (as shown in FIG. 128 , forexample), the flag element 95 may contain text indicating that no billsare scheduled. Alternatively, the flag element 95 may be hidden fromview in the absence of any near-term bill payments.

In cases where the information graphic 115 indicates that an amount ofthe available account balance will be consumed by the bill payments inthe near-term, the available account balance is in no way encumbered bythe anticipated payments. In other words, the available account balanceindicated by the information graphic 115 represents the actual amountthat the customer may access at that point in time.

As further shown in FIG. 12A, the information graphic 115 may furtherinclude a second flag element 100 containing text indicating the amountof the available account balance in excess of the total amount ofnear-term bill payments. As shown, the flag element 100 may bepositioned adjacent a portion of the first segment 120 that is notconsumed by the bar element 92. In cases where no near-term billpayments are scheduled, or in cases where the total amount of near-termbill payments exceeds the balance of the available account, the flagelement 100 may be hidden from view.

FIGS. 12C and 12D illustrate other operational configurations of theinformation graphic 115 according to various embodiments. In FIG. 12C,the total amount of near-term bill payments exceeds the availableaccount balance. Accordingly, the length of the bar element 92 exceedsthe length of the first segment 120, and the second flag element 100that may otherwise indicate the amount of the available account balanceis hidden. In FIG. 12D, the total amount of near-term bill paymentsexceeds the total of the available and reserve account balances,indicating a “bankrupt” scenario. In such cases, the color of the firstsegment 120 may be altered to draw attention to the fact that theapproaching bill payments exceed the combined available reserve andaccount balances.

As shown in FIG. 12E, the information graphic 115 may be configured toprovide a graphical indication of a pending deposit into the availableaccount and a text caption indicating the amount of the pending deposit.For example, a pending deposit may be indicated by the presence of anasterisk 102 or other suitable symbol adjacent the first segment 120.The amount of the pending deposit may not be included in the availableaccount balance until the deposit is approved by the bankinginstitution. Conversely, charges pending against the available accountmay be reflected in the available account balance.

According to various embodiments and with reference to FIGS. 9A-98 ,transitioning the information graphic 115 from the collapsed state to anexpanded state may cause the display of a sub-screen 175 listinganticipated purchases or other spending events and an amount of thereserve account allocated to each. In certain embodiments, thesub-screen 175 may be visible only when the information graphic 115 isin the expanded state. A date associated with each spending event mayalso be displayed, along with an “edit” button to enable editing ofinformation pertaining to a corresponding spending event. The sub-screen175 may also display the total amount of the reserve account currentlyallocated toward spending events, and an amount of interest earned onthe reserve account.

FIG. 13A illustrates a configuration of the sub-screen 175 resultingfrom selection of an edit button corresponding to a particular spendingevent. As shown, the description of the spending event, the dateassociated with the spending event, and the amount allocated toward theevent may be contained in corresponding text fields editable to receivethe appropriate information. Additionally, when in the editing mode, thesub-screen 175 may display a reminder date field for specifying areminder date relative to the event date (e.g., on the day of the event,one day ahead, one week ahead). In other embodiments, the reminder datefield may permit text entry of a particular date. In certainembodiments, the reminder may be provided via an e-mail utility of theUI 42, or by an e-mail program hosted by the client 40, for example. Inother embodiments, the reminder may be provided to a telephoneassociated with the customer using customer contact information onrecord with the banking institution or contact information previouslyentered by the customer via a sub-screen of the UI 42. The sub-screen175 may further display “save” and “delete” buttons for each editedspending event so that edits to the event information may be saved ordiscarded. Selection of either the save or delete button may also causethe sub-screen 175 to exit the editing mode and return to a displaymode, such as shown in FIGS. 9A-9B.

As shown in FIGS. 9A-9B, the sub-screen 175 may further comprise an“add” button for adding a spending event to the sub-screen 175.Selection of the add button may cause the display of a sub-screen 180(FIG. 13B) containing editable text fields for entering a description ofthe spending event, a date associated with the spending event, areminder date based on the event date, and an amount allocated towardthe event. The sub-screen 180 may further display “save” and “delete”buttons for saving or discarding the entered information. Selection ofeither the save or delete button may also cause the sub-screen 180 toclose and return the customer to the sub-screen 175. In certainembodiments, where a date has been associated with the event, selectingthe save button may further provide a calendar-based indication, orother indication on one or more separate UI screens, identifying thespending event based on the event date. In certain embodiments, if nospending events have been added to the sub-screen 175, the subscreen maydisplay “tips of use” information to the customer.

In certain embodiments, when funds are transferred from the reserveaccount (e.g., an automatic transfer by the banking institution if theavailable account becomes overdrawn), the funds may be transferred fromthe reserve account in the following order: from unallocated funds tothe reserve account, from spending events of the sub-screen 175 nothaving an associated date, and then from spending events of thesub-screen 175 having associated dates, beginning with the datesfurthest in the future.

The screen 110 and its features may be more ideally suited for customerswithin younger demographic groups, such as high school and college-agedcustomers, for example. A key behavior of such groups is hiding, or“stashing” money for specific items and events, for example. Thefunctionality of the information graphic 115 reflects this behavior bypermitting allocation of the reserve account balance toward anticipatedspending events when the information graphic 115 is expanded state, andconcealing the allocations from view when information graphic 115 iscollapsed. Additionally, the ability to flexibly transfer funds betweenaccount holders (particularly joint account holders) is important toyounger customers. The functionality of the transfer sub-screen 135caters to this need by enabling the transfer of funds not only betweenthe available and reserve accounts, but also between other customeraccounts within or external to the banking institution, and betweencustomer accounts and accounts associated with other persons.

Although embodiments described above may access the UI screen 50 via anetwork enabled client 40, it will be appreciated that the UI screens50, 110 may be accessible using other devices and communicationchannels. In certain embodiments, for example, the UI screens 50, 110 orfeatures thereon may be accessible to customers via an automated tellermachine (ATM) in communication with the application server 15 via acommunication network. In such embodiments, graphical and textualaspects of the screen 50 may be adapted to conform to the particularhardware and software requirements of the ATM.

An information graphic displayable via an electronic UI to integrateinformation from accounts held at a financial institution is disclosedhereinabove. In one embodiment, the information graphic includes a firstgraphic element to display first information associated with at leastone first account and a second graphic element to display secondinformation associated with at least one second account. A dimension ofthe first graphic element is representative of the first information anda dimension of the second graphic element is representative of thesecond information. A first portion of the second graphic element isselectable to alternately virtually hide and display a second portion ofthe second graphic element.

In another embodiment, the information graphic includes a first graphicelement to display at least a portion of first information associatedwith at least one first account and a second graphic element to displayat least a portion of second information associated with at least onesecond account. A ratio of a dimension of the first graphic element to adimension of the second graphic element is substantially equal to aratio of a balance contained in the at least one first account to abalance contained in the at least one second account. The second graphicelement includes a first portion selectable to alternately virtuallyhide and display a second portion of the second graphic element.

A UI displayable via an electronic device is also disclosed hereinabove.The UI includes an information graphic to display first informationassociated with at least one first account and second informationassociated with at least one second account. The at least one firstaccount and the at least one second account are held by a financialinstitution. The information graphic includes a first graphic elementand a second graphic element adjacent the first graphic element. Thesecond graphic element includes a selectable portion to alternatelytransition the information graphic between a first display state and asecond display state. In one embodiment, the selectable portion of thesecond graphic element is responsive to clicking and/or dragging theselectable portion with a pointing device, such as a computer mouse. Afirst dimension of the first graphic element and a first dimension ofthe second graphic element are displayed when the information graphic isin the first display state. The first graphic element is to display thefirst information in the first display state, and the first dimension ofthe second graphic element is to display the selectable portion in thefirst display state. The first dimension of the second graphic elementis increased to a second dimension when the selectable portion of thesecond graphic element is selected during the first display state. Thesecond dimension of the second graphic element corresponds to the seconddisplay state. The first graphic element is to display the firstinformation in the second display state, and the second dimension of thesecond graphic element is to display the second information and theselectable portion in the second display state. The second dimension ofthe second graphic element is decreased to the first dimension when theselectable portion of the second graphic element is selected during thesecond display state.

In one embodiment, a shape of the first and second graphic elementsincludes a bounded shape or a line segment. The first and second graphicelements can be substantially identical in shape. The first dimension ofthe first graphic element, and the first and second dimensions of thesecond graphic element, can be any of length, width and height.

In one embodiment, when the selectable portion of the second graphicelement is selected during the first display state, the first dimensionof the first graphic element is decreased by an amount equal to theincrease in the dimension of the second graphic element such that thecombined dimensions of the first and second graphic elements does notchange during a transition from the first display state to the seconddisplay state. In another embodiment, when the selectable portion of thesecond graphic element is selected during the first display state, thefirst dimension of the first graphic element remains constant such thatthe combined dimensions of the first and second graphic elements changesduring a transition from the first display state to the second displaystate.

In one embodiment, the first information associated with the at leastone first account includes a balance of the at least one first account,and the second information associated with the at least one secondaccount includes a balance of the at least one second account. The atleast one first account can include a demand account, and the at leastone second account can include a savings account.

In one embodiment, during the second display state, relative dimensionsof the first and second graphic elements are indicative of relativebalances of the at least one first account and the at least one secondaccount, respectively. The relative dimensions of the first and secondgraphic elements can be in proportion to relative balances of the atleast one first account and the at least one second account,respectively.

In one embodiment, the first graphic element includes text to indicateat least a portion of the first information, and the second dimension ofthe second graphic element includes text to indicate at least a portionof the second information.

In one embodiment, the UI includes a transfer screen to effect atransfer between accounts. The transfer screen includes a first inputfield to receive first input indicating a type of the transfer, a secondinput field to receive second input indicating a source of the transfer,a third input field to receive third input indicating a destination ofthe transfer, and a fourth input field to receive fourth inputindicating an amount of the transfer. According to various embodiments,eligible values of at least one of the second and third inputs aredetermined based on a value of the first input, and eligible values ofthe third input are determined based on a value of at least one of thefirst and second inputs. In one embodiment, the type of transfer can be(1) a transfer between accounts associated with a customer of thefinancial institution in which at least one of the accounts associatedwith the customer held by the financial institution, or (2) a transferbetween an account associated with the customer of the financialinstitution and held by the financial institution and an account of aperson or entity different than the customer. The first type of transfercan be a transfer from an account held by the financial institution andassociated with the customer to an account held by another financialinstitution that is associated with the customer. The second type oftransfer can be a transfer from an account associated with the customerof the financial institution and held by the financial institution to anaccount of a person or entity different than the customer that is heldby another financial institution.

In one embodiment, the UI includes a messaging screen that is displayedwhen the type of selected transfer is a transfer from an accountassociated with the customer of the financial institution and held bythe financial institution to an account of a person or entity differentthan the customer. The messaging screen can be used to compose andtransmit a message to the different person or entity. The message caninclude at least one field to indicate the amount of the transfer and areason for the transfer. In one embodiment, the transfer betweenaccounts is effected when the message is transmitted.

In one embodiment, the UI comprises an allocation screen. For each ofone or more anticipated spending events, the allocation screen includesa first input field to receive first input indicating a description ofthe anticipated spending event, and a second input field to receivesecond input indicating an amount of the at least one second account tobe allocated toward the anticipated spending event. The at least onefirst account and the at least one second account can be associated witha customer of the financial institution.

In one embodiment, the allocation screen includes, for each anticipatedspending event, a third input field to receive third input indicating adate of the anticipated spending event, and a fourth input field toreceive fourth input indicating a date prior to the date of theanticipated spending event on which a reminder of the anticipatedspending event is to be provided to the customer.

In certain embodiments, the allocation screen can include text toindicate an amount of the at least one second account that is notallocated to the one or more anticipated spending events, and/or text toindicate an amount of interest earned on the at least one secondaccount.

In one embodiment, the allocation screen is displayed only when theinformation graphic is in the second display state.

A method for displaying an information graphic via an electronic UI tointegrate information from accounts held at a financial institution isalso disclosed hereinabove. In one embodiment, the method includesdisplaying a first graphic element to display first informationassociated with at least one first account and displaying a secondgraphic element to display second information associated with at leastone second account. A dimension of the first graphic element isrepresentative of the first information and a dimension of the secondgraphic element is representative of the second information. Displayingthe second graphical element includes displaying a first portion of thesecond graphic element that is selectable to alternately virtually hideand display a second portion of the second graphic element.

In another embodiment, the method includes displaying a first graphicelement to display at least a portion of first information associatedwith at least one first account and displaying a second graphic elementto display at least a portion of second information associated with atleast one second account. Displaying the first and second graphicelements includes displaying a ratio of a dimension of the first graphicelement to a dimension of the second graphic element that issubstantially equal to a ratio of a balance contained in the at leastone first account to a balance contained in the at least one secondaccount. Displaying the second graphic element includes displaying afirst portion of the second graphic element that is selectable toalternately virtually hide and display a second portion of the secondgraphic element.

A method for displaying a UI via an electronic device is also disclosedhereinabove. The method includes displaying an information graphiccomprising first information associated with at least one first accountand second information associated with at least one second account. Theat least one first account and the at least one second account are heldby a financial institution. Displaying the information graphic includesdisplaying a first graphic element and displaying a second graphicelement adjacent the first graphic element. The second graphic elementincludes a selectable portion to alternately transition the informationgraphic between a first display state and a second display state. In oneembodiment, the selectable portion of the second graphic element isresponsive to clicking and/or dragging the selectable portion with apointing device, such as a computer mouse. The method also includesdisplaying a first dimension of the first graphic element and a firstdimension of the second graphic element when the information graphic isin the first display state. The first graphic element is to display thefirst information in the first display state, and the first dimension ofthe second graphic element is to display the selectable portion in thefirst display state. The method also includes increasing the firstdimension of the second graphic element to a second dimension when theselectable portion of the second graphic element is selected during thefirst display state. The second dimension of the second graphic elementcorresponds to the second display state. The first graphic element is todisplay the first information in the second display state, and thesecond dimension of the second graphic element is to display the secondinformation and the selectable portion in the second display state. Themethod also includes decreasing the second dimension of the secondgraphic element to the first dimension when the selectable portion ofthe second graphic element is selected during the second display state.

In one embodiment, displaying the first graphic element includesdisplaying a bounded shape or a line segment, and displaying the secondgraphic element includes displaying a bounded shape and a line segment.Displaying the first graphic element and displaying the second graphicelement can include displaying substantially identical shapes.Displaying the first dimension of the first graphic element, anddisplaying the first and second dimensions of the second graphicelement, can include displaying any of length, width and height.

In one embodiment, the method includes, when the selectable portion ofthe second graphic element is selected during the first display state,decreasing the first dimension of the first graphic element by an amountequal to the increase in the dimension of the second graphic elementsuch that the combined dimensions of the first and second graphicelements does not change during a transition from the first displaystate to the second display state. In another embodiment, the methodincludes, when the selectable portion of the second graphic element isselected during the first display state, maintaining the first dimensionof the first graphic element at a constant value such that the combineddimensions of the first and second graphic elements changes during atransition from the first display state to the second display state.

In one embodiment, the first information associated with the at leastone first account includes a balance of the at least one first account,and the second information associated with the at least one secondaccount includes a balance of the at least one second account. The atleast one first account can include a demand account, and the at leastone second account can include a savings account.

In one embodiment, the method includes, during the second display state,indicating, by relative dimensions of the first and second graphicelements, relative balances of the at least one first account and the atleast one second account, respectively. This can include, for example,proportioning the relative dimensions of the first and second graphicelements based on the relative balances of the at least one firstaccount and the at least one second account, respectively.

In one embodiment, the first graphic element includes text to indicateat least a portion of the first information, and the second dimension ofthe second graphic element includes text to indicate at least a portionof the second information.

In one embodiment, the method includes effecting a transfer betweenaccounts via a transfer screen of the UI. Effecting the transferincludes receiving first input in a first input field of the transferscreen to indicate a type of the transfer, receiving second input in asecond input field of the transfer screen to indicate a source of thetransfer, receiving a third input in a third input field of the transferscreen to indicate a destination of the transfer and receiving a fourthinput in a fourth input field of the transfer screen to indicate anamount of the transfer. The method can also include determining eligiblevalues of at least one of the second and third inputs based on a valueof the first input, and/or determining eligible values of the thirdinput based on a value of at least one of the first and second inputs.In one embodiment, effecting the transfer includes (1) effecting atransfer between accounts associated with a customer of the financialinstitution, wherein at least one of the accounts associated with thecustomer held by the financial institution, or (2) effecting a transferbetween an account associated with the customer of the financialinstitution and held by the financial institution and an account of aperson or entity different than the customer. Effecting a transfer ininstance (1) can include effecting a transfer from an account held bythe financial institution and associated with the customer to an accountheld by another financial institution that is associated with thecustomer. Effecting a transfer in instance (2) can include effecting atransfer from an account associated with the customer of the financialinstitution and held by the financial institution to an account of aperson or entity different than the customer that is held by anotherfinancial institution.

In one embodiment, the method includes displaying a messaging screenwhen the transfer is a transfer from an account associated with thecustomer of the financial institution and held by the financialinstitution to an account of a person or entity different than thecustomer. The messaging screen can be used to compose and transmit amessage to the different person or entity. In one embodiment, the methodincludes effecting the transfer between accounts when the message istransmitted.

In one embodiment, the method includes displaying an allocation screen.Displaying the allocation screen includes, for each of one or moreanticipated spending events, displaying a first input field to receivefirst input indicating a description of the anticipated spending event,and displaying a second input field to receive second input indicatingan amount of the at least one second account to be allocated toward theanticipated spending event. The least one first account, the at leastone second account, and the one or more anticipated spending events canbe associated with a customer of the financial institution.

In one embodiment, displaying the allocation screen includes, for eachof the one or more anticipated spending events, displaying a third inputfield to receive third input indicating a date of the anticipatedspending event and di playing a fourth input field to receive fourthinput indicating a date prior to the date of the anticipated spendingevent on which a reminder of the anticipated spending event is to beprovided to the customer.

In certain embodiments, displaying the allocation screen includes (1)displaying text to indicate an amount of the at least one second accountthat is not allocated to the one or more anticipated spending events,and/or (2) displaying text to indicate an amount of interest earned onthe at least one second account. Displaying the allocation screen canalso include displaying the allocation screen only when the informationgraphic is in the second display state.

The examples presented herein are intended to illustrate potential andspecific implementations of the present invention. It can be appreciatedthat the examples are intended primarily for purposes of illustration ofthe invention for those skilled in the art. No particular aspect oraspects of the examples are necessarily intended to limit the scope ofthe present invention.

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the presentinvention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevantfor a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating,for purposes of clarity, other elements. Those of ordinary skill in theart will recognize, however, that these sorts of focused discussionswould not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention,and therefore, a more detailed description of such elements is notprovided herein.

Any element expressed herein as a means for performing a specifiedfunction is intended to encompass any way of performing that function,including, for example, a combination of elements that performs thatfunction. Furthermore, the invention, as defined by suchmeans-plus-function claims, resides in the fact that the functionalitiesprovided by the various recited means are combined and brought togetherin a manner as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, any means thatcan provide such functionalities may be considered equivalents to themeans shown herein.

In general, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art thatsome of the embodiments as described hereinabove may be implemented inmany different embodiments of software, firmware, and/or hardware. Thesoftware code or specialized control hardware used to implement some ofthe present embodiments is not limiting of the present invention. Forexample, the embodiments described hereinabove may be implemented incomputer software using any suitable computer software language. Suchsoftware may be stored on any type of suitable computer-readable mediumor media such as, for example, a magnetic or optical storage medium.Thus, the operation and behavior of the embodiments are describedwithout specific reference to the actual software code or specializedhardware components. The absence of such specific references is feasiblebecause it is clearly understood that artisans of ordinary skill wouldbe able to design software and control hardware to implement theembodiments of the present invention based on the description hereinwith only a reasonable effort and without undue experimentation.

Moreover, the processes associated with the present embodiments may beexecuted by programmable equipment, such as computers. Software that maycause programmable equipment to execute the processes may be stored inany storage device, such as, for example, a computer system(nonvolatile) memory, an optical disk, magnetic tape, or magnetic disk.Furthermore, some of the processes may be programmed when the computersystem is manufactured or via a computer-readable medium. Such a mediummay include any of the forms listed above with respect to storagedevices and may further include, for example, a carrier wave modulated,or otherwise manipulated, to convey instructions that may be read,demodulated/decoded and executed by a computer.

It can also be appreciated that certain process aspects described hereinmay be performed using instructions stored on a computer-readable mediumor media that direct a computer system to perform process steps. Acomputer-readable medium may include, for example, memory devices suchas diskettes, compact discs of both read-only and read/write varieties,optical disk drives, and hard disk drives. A computer-readable mediummay also include memory storage that may be physical, virtual,permanent, temporary, semi-permanent and/or semi-temporary. Acomputer-readable medium may further involve one or more data signalstransmitted on one or more propagated computer-readable mediums.

Computer devices disclosed herein may include memory for storing certainsoftware applications used in obtaining, processing and communicatingdata. It can be appreciated that such memory may be internal or externalto the disclosed embodiments. The memory may also include any means forstoring software, including a hard disk, an optical disk, floppy disk,ROM (read only memory), RAM (random access memory), PROM (programmableROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable PROM), and other computer-readablemedia.

In various embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein, asingle component may be replaced by multiple components, and multiplecomponents may be replaced by a single component, to perform a givenfunction or functions. Except where such substitution would not beoperative to practice embodiments of the present invention, suchsubstitution is within the scope of the present invention. Any of theservers described herein, for example, may be replaced by a “serverfarm” or other grouping of networked servers that are located andconfigured for cooperative functions. It can be appreciated that aserver farm may serve to distribute workload between/among individualcomponents of the farm and may expedite computing processes byharnessing the collective and cooperative power of multiple servers.

Such server farms may employ load-balancing software that accomplishestasks such as, for example, tracking demand for processing power fromdifferent machines, prioritizing and scheduling tasks based on networkdemand, and/or providing backup contingency in the event of componentfailure or reduction in operability.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described herein,it should be apparent, however, that various modifications, alterationsand adaptations to those embodiments may occur to persons skilled in theart with the attainment of some or all of the advantages of the presentinvention. For example, features described in connection with the slidecontroller 55 can generally be adapted for use with the informationgraphic 115, and vice versa. The disclosed embodiments are thereforeintended to include all such modifications, alterations and adaptationswithout departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention asset forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device for displaying a userinterface (UI), the electronic device comprising: a processor programmedto execute an information graphic that displays first informationassociated with at least one first account and second informationassociated with at least one second account, the at least one firstaccount and the at least one second account held by a financialinstitution, the information graphic comprising: a first graphicelement; a second graphic element adjacent the first graphic element,the second graphic element comprising a selectable portion toalternately transition the information graphic between a first displaystate and a second display state; wherein: a first dimension of thefirst graphic element and a first dimension of the second graphicelement are displayed when the information graphic is in the firstdisplay state, the first graphic element to display the firstinformation in the first display state, and the first dimension of thesecond graphic element to display the selectable portion in the firstdisplay state; the first dimension of the second graphic element isincreased to a second dimension when the selectable portion of thesecond graphic element is selected during the first display state, thesecond dimension of the second graphic element corresponding to thesecond display state, the first graphic element to display the firstinformation in the second display state, and the second dimension of thesecond graphic element to display the second information and theselectable portion in the second display state; and the second dimensionof the second graphic element is decreased to the first dimension whenthe selectable portion of the second graphic element is selected duringthe second display state; a slide controller within the informationgraphic and a bar element positioned behind the information graphic,wherein when in the second display state: actuation of a slidecontroller redistributes funds between the at least one first accountand the at least one second account; and the information graphic istransparent such that the information graphic is partially visibletherethrough, wherein a proportional length between the first graphicelement and the information graphic is indicative of a combined amountin both the at least one first account and the at least one secondaccount to be consumed by bill payments, wherein a length of theinformation graphic exceeds a length of the bar element when a combinedamount in both the at least one first account and the at least onesecond account is greater than the combined amount in both the at leastone first account and the at least one second account to be consumed bybill payments, and the length of the bar element exceeds the length ofthe information graphic when the combined amount in both the at leastone first account and the at least one second account to be consumed bybill payments is greater than the combined amount in both the at leastone first account and the at least one second account.
 2. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein: a shape of the first graphic elementcomprises a shape selected from the group consisting of: a bounded shapeand a line segment; and a shape of the second graphic element comprisesa shape selected from the group consisting of: a bounded shape and aline segment.
 3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein: the firstgraphic element and the second graphic element comprise identicalshapes.
 4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein: the firstdimension of the first graphic element is selected from the groupconsisting of: length, width, height.
 5. The electronic device of claim1, wherein: the first and second dimensions of the second graphicelement are selected from the group consisting of: length, width,height.
 6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein: when theselectable portion of the second graphic element is selected during thefirst display state, the first dimension of the first graphic element isdecreased by an amount equal to the increase in the dimension of thesecond graphic element such that the combined dimensions of the firstand second graphic elements does not change during a transition from thefirst display state to the second display state.
 7. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein: when the selectable portion of the secondgraphic element is selected during the first display state, the firstdimension of the first graphic element remains constant such that thecombined dimensions of the first and second graphic elements changesduring a transition from the first display state to the second displaystate.
 8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein: the firstinformation associated with the at least one first account comprises abalance of the at least one first account; and the second informationassociated with the at least one second account comprises a balance ofthe at least one second account.
 9. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein: during the second display state, relative dimensions of thefirst and second graphic elements are indicative of relative balances ofthe at least one first account and the at least one second account,respectively.
 10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein: during thesecond display state, the relative dimensions of the first and secondgraphic elements are in proportion to relative balances of the at leastone first account and the at least one second account, respectively. 11.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein: the at least one firstaccount comprises a demand account; and the at least one second accountcomprises a savings account.
 12. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein: the selectable portion of the second graphic element isresponsive to at least one of: clicking the selectable portion with apointing device and dragging the selectable portion with the pointingdevice.
 13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein: the first graphicelement comprises text to indicate at least a portion of the firstinformation; and the second dimension of the second graphic elementcomprises text to indicate at least a portion of the second information.14. The electronic device of claim 1, comprising: a transfer screen toeffect a transfer between accounts, the transfer screen comprising: afirst input field to receive first input indicating a type of thetransfer; a second input field to receive second input indicating asource of the transfer; a third input field to receive third inputindicating a destination of the transfer; and a fourth input field toreceive fourth input indicating an amount of the transfer.
 15. Theelectronic device of claim 14, wherein: eligible values of at least oneof the second and third inputs are determined based on a value of thefirst input.
 16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein: eligiblevalues of the third input are determined based on a value of at leastone of the first and second inputs.
 17. The electronic device of claim14, wherein: the type of transfer is selected from the group consistingof: a transfer between accounts associated with a customer of thefinancial institution, at least one of the accounts associated with thecustomer held by the financial institution; and a transfer between anaccount associated with the customer of the financial institution andheld by the financial institution and an account of a person or entitydifferent than the customer.
 18. The electronic device of claim 17,wherein: the type of selected transfer is a transfer from an accountheld by the financial institution and associated with the customer to anaccount held by another financial institution that is associated withthe customer.
 19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein: the typeof selected transfer is a transfer from an account associated with thecustomer of the financial institution and held by the financialinstitution to an account of a person or entity different than thecustomer that is held by another financial institution.
 20. Theelectronic device of claim 17, comprising: a messaging screen displayedwhen selected transfer is a transfer from an account associated with thecustomer of the financial institution and held by the financialinstitution to an account of a person or entity different than thecustomer, the messaging screen for composing and transmitting a messageto the different person or entity.
 21. The electronic device of claim20, wherein: the messaging screen is for composing a message comprisingat least one field to indicate the amount of the transfer and a reasonfor the transfer.
 22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein: thetransfer between accounts is effected when the message is transmitted.23. The electronic device of claim 1, comprising: an allocation screencomprising, for each of one or more anticipated spending events: a firstinput field to receive first input indicating a description of theanticipated spending event; and a second input field to receive secondinput indicating an amount of the at least one second account to beallocated toward the anticipated spending event; wherein the at leastone first account, the at least one second account, and the one or moreanticipated spending events are associated with a customer of thefinancial institution.
 24. The electronic device of claim 23, whereinthe allocation screen comprises, for each of the one or more anticipatedspending events: a third input field to receive third input indicating adate of the anticipated spending event; and a fourth input field toreceive fourth input indicating a date prior to the date of theanticipated spending event on which a reminder of the anticipatedspending event is to be provided to the customer.
 25. The electronicdevice of claim 23, wherein the allocation screen comprises text toindicate an amount of the at least one second account that is notallocated to the one or more anticipated spending events.
 26. Theelectronic device of claim 23, wherein the allocation screen comprisestext to indicate an amount of interest earned on the at least one secondaccount.
 27. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the allocationscreen is displayed only when the information graphic is in the seconddisplay state.
 28. An electronic device for displaying an informationgraphic displayable via an electronic user interface to integrateinformation from accounts held at a financial institution, theelectronic device comprising: a processor programmed to execute aninformation graphic comprising a first graphic element and a secondgraphic element, wherein: the first graphic element is configured todisplay at least a portion of first information associated with at leastone first account; and the second graphic element is configured todisplay at least a portion of second information associated with atleast one second account; a ratio of a dimension of the first graphicelement to a dimension of the second graphic element is equal to a ratioof a balance contained in the at least one first account to a balancecontained in the at least one second account; and the second graphicelement comprises a first portion selectable to alternately virtuallyhide and display a second portion of the second graphic element; theprocessor is programmed to generate a slide controller within theinformation graphic and a bar element positioned behind the informationgraphic, wherein when a second portion of the second graphic element isnot hidden: actuation of a slide controller redistributes funds betweenthe at least one first account and the at least one second account; andthe information graphic is transparent such that the information graphicis partially visible therethrough, wherein a proportional length betweenthe first graphic element and the information graphic is indicative of acombined amount in both the at least one first account and the at leastone second account to be consumed by bill payments, wherein a length ofthe information graphic exceeds a length of the bar element when acombined amount in both the at least one first account and the at leastone second account is greater than the combined amount in both the atleast one first account and the at least one second account to beconsumed by bill payments, and the length of the bar element exceeds thelength of the information graphic when the combined amount in both theat least one first account and the at least one second account to beconsumed by bill payments is greater than the combined amount in boththe at least one first account and the at least one second account. 29.The electronic device of claim 28, wherein: the first graphic element isadjacent the second graphic element.
 30. The electronic device of claim28, wherein: a shape of the first graphic element comprises a shapeselected from the group consisting of: a bounded shape and a linesegment; and a shape of the second graphic element comprises a shapeselected from the group consisting of: a bounded shape and a linesegment.
 31. The electronic device of claim 30, wherein: the firstgraphic element and the second graphic element comprise identicalshapes.
 32. The electronic device of claim 28, wherein: the ratio ofdimensions is selected from the group consisting of: a ratio of lengths,a ratio of widths and a ratio of heights.
 33. The electronic device ofclaim 28, wherein: the at least one first account and the at least onesecond account are held at the financial institution by a customer ofthe financial institution.
 34. The electronic device of claim 28,wherein: when the first portion of the second graphic element isselected during display of the second portion of the second graphicelement, the dimension of the first graphic element is increased tovirtually hide the second portion of the second graphic element.
 35. Theelectronic device of claim 28, wherein: when the first portion of thesecond graphic element is selected during display of the second portionof the second graphic element, the dimension of the second portion ofthe second graphic element is reduced to virtually hide the secondportion of the second graphic element.
 36. The electronic device ofclaim 28, wherein: the first portion of the second graphic element isselectable with a pointing device by at least one of clicking anddragging the first portion of the second graphic element.
 37. Theelectronic device of claim 28, wherein: the first information associatedwith the at least one first account comprises a balance of the at leastone first account; and the second information associated with the atleast one second account comprises a balance of the at least one secondaccount.
 38. The electronic device of claim 28, wherein: the at leastone first account comprises a demand account; and the at least onesecond account comprises a savings account.
 39. The electronic device ofclaim 28, wherein: the first graphic element comprises text to indicateat least a portion of the first information; and the second graphicelement comprises text to indicate at least a portion of the secondinformation.
 40. An electronic device for displaying an informationgraphic displayable via an electronic user interface to integrateinformation from accounts held at a financial institution, theelectronic device comprising: a processor programmed to execute aninformation graphic comprising a first graphic element and a secondgraphic element, wherein: the first graphic element is configured todisplay first information associated with at least one first account;and the second graphic element is configured to display secondinformation associated with at least one second account; a dimension ofthe first graphic element is representative of the first information; adimension of the second graphic element is representative of the secondinformation; and a first portion of the second graphic element isselectable to alternately virtually hide and display a second portion ofthe second graphic element; the processor is programmed to generate aslide controller within the information graphic and a bar elementpositioned behind the information graphic, wherein when a second portionof the second graphic element is not hidden: actuation of a slidecontroller redistributes funds between the at least one first accountand the at least one second account; and the information graphic istransparent such that the information graphic is partially visibletherethrough, wherein a proportional length between the first graphicelement and the information graphic is indicative of a combined amountin both the at least one first account and the at least one secondaccount to be consumed by bill payments, wherein a length of theinformation graphic exceeds a length of the bar element when a combinedamount in both the at least one first account and the at least onesecond account is greater than the combined amount in both the at leastone first account and the at least one second account to be consumed bybill payments, and the length of the bar element exceeds the length ofthe information graphic when the combined amount in both the at leastone first account and the at least one second account to be consumed bybill payments is greater than the combined amount in both the at leastone first account and the at least one second account.